Persons of limited mobility, such as paraplegics, quadriplegics, and those suffering from diseases or conditions such as muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, ALS, and cerebral palsy, typically encounter difficulties when faced with a situation where they must be transferred from one location to another, such as from a wheelchair seat to an airplane seat, a car seat, or a recreational seat (e.g., a kayak or sit ski seat). Additionally, in emergency evacuation situations, it can be difficult to evacuate wheelchair-bound or injured persons from any multi-story building, particularly from skyscrapers or other buildings requiring evacuation down multiple flights of stairs.
Transfer devices for transporting such persons from one location to another and emergency evacuation devices currently exist. These transfer devices are typically mechanical lifts and/or slings that require trained operators and heavy mechanical equipment to use. Similarly, such emergency evacuation devices are typically heavy, rigid devices that are difficult to use in emergency situations, particularly by untrained personnel. They are rarely available when needed due to their size and the difficulty in storing such devices. These transfer and emergency evacuation devices also fail to adequately secure the person being transported in the device. Thus, there is a need in the art for a personal transfer and carrier device that is lightweight and can be used by unskilled operators. There is a further need in the art for a personal transfer and carrier device that maintains the person being transported in a stable position during use.